Lori Holt Giveaway....

Dishcloths, DMC thread and your choice of pattern...

Where you say??

HERE

Nancy

Firefox I {heart} you.....

I have been having trouble with Internet Explorer lately. For some reason it locks up on me and I can't even get to the address bar...

So yesterday morning (ok, it was noon, you know teenagers could sleep the day away!) I asked the Rock Star AKA computer whiz to please do something. I dangled cash in front of him..
He bit.

After a few seconds he said "you can't use this, it's cr*p. I'm gonna download Firefox for you. You will like it much better." ME- "Will I still have my google-reader button?" "Will I still have my swagbucks search engine?" HIM-"um, yea"

So I left him for a few more seconds and VOILA!!!! It's done. And I LOVE IT!!

Much faster page loading, google reader is working better than ever with one enhanced feature that I love, and my swagbucks search engine is in place.

Ah......

Now I gotta pay up....

Did any sewing get done? Come back tomorrow and find out...

Happy Sewing,
Nancy

PS....interested in knowing about swagbucks? Go HERE and read all about it. BUT don't join until you email me. If you join using my invite I will get a few swagbucks as a thank you....

Design Room Monday....

My design wall looks just like it did last week. No change. My mojo was gone this week, but it looks better for this week.

Why, you ask?

Because I found my graph paper....

Since we didn't have internet yesterday morning (because DH decided to push the "reset" button....never..ever...push the reset button..) I dragged out my graph paper and started with my paper and ruler.

This is what I drew....

I made templates for my sewing table, banquet table, ironing table and cutting table. Then I played around until I found a good arrangement.

After asking DH and the Rock Star to help me move furniture, this is what it looks like now.

I have so much more room to move around and I can finally get to both sides of my cutting table. I had to move a few hanging things, such as the ruler rack and such, but I love the new look. I have a couple of quilts to bind for quilt guild and I need to put the finishing touches on my Christmas in July swap package. Then I will start on another secret project or two.

Doesn't it look nice?

Woops!!! I need to find some place for this stuff...



We had that bad storm last night and here is what the house next door looks like. The house is under construction and this siding was stuff that was stacked up ready to be put on the house. Last night it was everywhere. This photo shows it after it was cleaned up. See the house down the street with the red car in the driveway? That's the one that got the garage door sucked in.



And my neighbors tree. Missed his kids tree house by mere inches...


DH is off to Michigan for three days and there is nothing on my calendar until Thursday, so I will be in the sewing room if anyone needs me...

Happy Sewing,
Nancy

quick post....

We had horrible storms come through last night. I have internet right now, but who knows how long it will last. We had 3 trees come down and block our street,lost our electric for about 7 hours, neighbors lost 2 big trees, house next door had a window blow out and break, neighbor down the street had his garage door sucked in....

Wind was clocked at 70 miles per hour and all you hear in the neighborhood this morning are chain saws humming....

We were lucky and had no damage at all ...

I am taking the next few days and cleaning and rearranging the sewing room.

See ya all in a couple of days.

If I don't answer comments it's because I can't...

Nancy

I love Free....

I love to paint. Last year we finally finished painting the whole downstairs, up the stairs and the upper hallway in the same color. We have an open floor plan and there really wasn't any place to stop and start another color. I am ready to start over. In our last house, I repainted all the rooms, including the ceilings right before we moved. After watching a ton of HGTV, I knew that we needed to repaint in neutral colors so our house would sell faster. So the navy walls in the dining room were painted over and the lipstick (and that was the real color name, although the daughters called it "whorehouse pink") in the bedroom became a soft gray.

Today I indulged in a little color therapy. I just ordered a quart of Glidden paint. Over the internet. For Free!!!

You can too!!

GLIDDEN

I've got 2-3 weeks to figure out what I will paint...

Nancy

Another Giveaway....

There're everywhere....

There're everywhere....

Go HERE to check it out....

I really need to stop blog-hopping now and get something done!! Hubby is on the way home from the airport....

Nancy

Fantastic New Pattern....

Helen of Hugs and Kisses does the nicest patterns. She has just announced a new Christmas stitchery called "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and it is adorable...

You can click here to see her blog post about it. AND if you have a blog, there is a giveaway...

I must do this one....

Working on some secret squirrel things. I might have some sneak peaks tomorrow...

Happy Sewing

Nancy

UPDATE - to leave a comment on Helen's post, click on the link and scroll all the way to the bottom of the post. There should be a box...

Goodies on Etsy...

I have had lots of people ask me about my ruler rack. My hubby was nice enough to listen to me one day when I asked him to please make me a ruler rack to get them all off of my cutting table. It took about 3 minutes for him to run to the shop and start sawing, hammering and glueing.

NOW.....He has started an Etsy shop and has made some for YOU!!!

See that link over there on the left that says Heritage Antiques on Etsy?? That's hubby...

He loves to do woodworking and I have found that if I keep him busy down in the workshop, he stays out of my hair and I get lots more sewing time. Will you help me out and buy a couple so he feels good?

Don't have a permanent sewing space? That's ok. He has both kinds of racks. Even the kind that sits on the table and corrals your rulers so they aren't getting lost under the fabric you are trying to cut. That one has 4 slots. I can fit a couple of the smaller rulers in one slot...

I have both kind but the one that hangs on the wall has 5 slots AND two pegs for your scissors.

He I will ship them out the next day priority so you can get that sewing room cleaned up and organized and have yourself some more sewing time...

Whadda ya say??

Oh, he also has a cute step stool, a bubblegum machine that doesn't require money, picture frame and if your kids are into Tai kwon do he has a couple of belt display racks. These are all handmade....

Nancy

It's Design Wall Monday....

This is what is on my design wall this morning.... Not the best photo. Sorry. I took it in the evening when it was raining.

This is the beginning of a little wall hanging called Tweet d Pie.... from the book "Have your cake & eat it too" by Two Sisters at Squirrel Hollow. THIS LINK will take you to the Jolly Jabber blog with an interview of the two sisters, a photo of the book and a photo of the finished quilt.

Mine needs lots of white sashing added and the center blue fq was put up there to audition the color for the bird in the center panel.

We spent almost all day rearranging the charms so that they look random... if you see any that need to be moved please leave a comment. They aren't sewn together yet, so now is the time to speak up!!

I fell in love with this quilt and had to buy the book at a quilt show I went to. Two friends (Ann and Miss Nancy) are also making the quilt and we will work on it together (except Ann is going leaps and bounds and will surely have hers done first)...

What should be on the design wall is the wallet I need to finish. Remember Saturday? The free class? The Sharon spotting? I used Judy's binding video and for a first try it wasn't too bad. I missed a few places, but I blame that on my pinning. And the wallet is black with matching binding so it won't show.

Today I need to unpack from the class and clean the sewing room. The Rock Star needs to cut the grass, but at 7am it was already 87 degrees so he won't be cutting until later this evening. Seems most of the neighbors were cutting last night at 8pm. It was only 82 then. Crazy hot weather here and it looks like it's not gonna be gone any time this week.

Happy Sewing,

Nancy

Let's count....

If you are supposed to add 1 1/4 cups of water to the Angel Food cake mix, DO NOT...I repeat...DO NOT...fill the little measuring cup up to the 4 ounce mark FOUR(4) TIMES and then add 2 more ounces.

THIS IS TOO MUCH WATER............

Well, I put it in the oven anyway so we will see what happens. But, I fear a trip into town for another mix is in my future. Oh well, we need a new toaster since ours didn't survive the drop onto the wood floor yesterday, and maybe I should get something to cover my grays so I don't scare startle little children...


UPDATE-The cake was so runny it poured out the bottom of the angel food cake pan all over the bottom of the oven and burned. I turned off the oven, dumped the cake, cleaned the oven floor and made a new cake..... The new one is now cooling and will be ready for strawberries and cool whip after dinner..


We are having a quiet Fathers Day here. It is warm outside and nice and cool inside so guess where we are... Hubby got a new tool so he is downstairs playing with that, while I screw up the cake.

Pancakes with strawberries and bacon was on the breakfast menu with steaks, baked potatos and fingers crossed Angel Food cake with more strawberrries and Cool Whip for dinner...

Yesterday Miss Nancy and I took advantage of a free (read, it only cost me $33) class at the LQS. We were making a wallet and in two hours got quite a bit accomplished although neither of us finished. We spent more time talking and redesigning the pattern...LOL

Afterwards we decided to go the Bread Co for some much needed lunch. So, we are sitting at a table calmly eating our soup (Miss Nancy) and salad (me) when I glance up and see someone hightailing it out leaving the store. Now, granted I only saw her back. But there was something familiar about that bobbed hair and those jeans. GUESS WHAT??? It was a Sharon Spotting. I realized that we had picked HER St Louis Bread Co!! Right by her house. I was sure it was her, so when I got home I emailed her and asked if she had by chance been there around 2ish....

YES....I wish I would have yelled, but I might have spit strawberries everywhere...
I do need to start carrying my camera...You never know when you might see someone famous!!

Need to unpack from class yesterday and get the sewing room in order. I am supposed to be play ketchup this weekend (see that button on the left?). But I fear it won't happen. There is too much to ketchup on and I don't have the energy or inclination today....

Happy Sewing,
Nancy

boring week....

What a boring week it has been here. We did have a birthday, but it wasn't very much fun. The Rock Star turned 17 on Wednesday. He left at 10am to go to a swimming party at a friends house. We took pizza over at 6pm and then didn't see him again until the next morning. He didn't get his birthday present until Thursday when again he was gone from 3pm until he got home around 9pm. No birthday cake. No balloons. No singing... I think that will change next year. I hated it. Next year he needs to stay home, I will have family over for cake and he will just have to put up with it.

Today, we did the traditional "drag the boy to the stores and buy something for him to give his dad for Fathers Day". Now granted, good ol'Dad is HARD to buy for. He doesn't do sports, doesn't drink and we are all tired of buying him books. We ended at at Rockler (a woodworking store) and I think we did pretty good. We bought some kind of kit that the guy said he might like. It does something fascinating I am sure although when the guy started explaining it to me my eyes glazed over.
Leaving Rockler, we saw this in the parking lot. I can't believe someone was driving this today in 100 degree heat. I would have melted.



Of course no trip out in this heat is complete without a couple of quilt shops. I needed thread and only one place around here carries Aurifil. Then off to Patches. I have a list of fabrics to get. I started a quilt with a charm pack of Arcadia and needed some yardage. Chris (the owner) emailed me saying they had 6 bolts from the line, so we headed down there.

I had a VISA rebate card burning a hole in my pocket ready to expire in July, so I thought I better use it while I remembered it...



Isn't it gorgeous. I have no plans for this and that is really unusual for me. Did you notice that the first and last fabrics are the same? LOL I asked for a 1/2 yard of the orange print and then later asked for another 1 yard cut. It's my favorite...


This fabric was just on the shelf next to the Arcadia and it caught my eye and I got 1/2 yard cuts of it.

Then to round out and finish off the VISA card, I bought these 30's. Again no project.....



A sneak peak of a project I am working on. Hopefully there will be more to show tomorrow or Sunday.... well, gee....I guess it's more than a sneak peak. LOL It's all the pieces cut out for a free class tomorrow at a LQS. The Quilted Fox is having a free class one Saturday a month through the summer. Can't remember what the next two are, but this one looked like it could add up to an early Christmas present for someone...



Well, that's the end of my boring week....

Need to get me some excitement around here..

Happy Sewing,
Nancy

Design Wall Monday....

It's that time again.

On my design wall this morning is the first block of First Saturday at Patches Sorry the photo is really washed out. The weather here is gloomy with rain in the forecast for all day. I had no thoughts to join this BOM until I saw that it was in 30's. I love 30's fabric. It just goes so well with any pattern. I paid $5 to join and got this block free. If I show up with my completed block between 8am-9am the first Saturday of each month, I will have a quilt top by next June for $5...Let's hope I can do it.



Also on my design wall is the beginning sketch of a quilt for the Rock Star. He asked if I would make him a black and white quilt for Christmas. Just black and just white. No prints. I bought black Kona last week and have it prewashed, now to get the Kona white. I will take this to retreat to work on so it will be somewhat of a surprise.


And another quick sneak peak...



Isn't that little ladybug button cute? Can you tell it's a Christmas ladybug? Yes, she is wearing red. Red is a Christmas color, right?? She's hiding presents under those wings...

Off to quilt guild this morning. Teaching a quick class, taking lemon pound cake for dessert and a couple of charity quilts to turn in...

Happy Sewing,
Nancy

deflated with one phone call....

Last night Linda and I played phone tag... She called and I was eating dinner, I called back and she was eating dinner (and we are in the same time zone!!lol), but finally we connected.

She just had a few questions about some supplies I use and then we got to talking about the Christmas in July swap. I always second guess myself when I get my swap stuff together. Will they like it? Am I using the right colors? Did I buy the right gifties? (yes, I know sis, I over think it) I want my swap partner to be pleased. I want her to like everything. Impossible? Maybe, but I will die trying...

So we start talking back and forth and of course I start telling her that I made this, I made that, I bought this, I bought that...

Her reply?

Um....Nancy.... two things are to be handmade and both are to be Christmas related. And they are to be in a Christmas related package, like a stocking or a bag or something.

SH*T

CR*P

I have NOTHING Christmas related. NOTHING!!!! I guess planning to wrap all these goodies in Christmas wrap wasn't gonna cut it. I do know what the outside package will be and have the Christmas fabric ready to go. BUT, now I have all these cute things and nothing is Christmas related.

So with one phone call... I was swap-deflated and am back to the drawing board.

Here is a sneak peak of what my swap partner will NOT get...


The good news is that I really like this so it will be nice to be able to keep it.

Today I must, must, must write the guild newsletter and get it printed and ready for Monday. I must get off the computer and stay out of the sewing room and turn off The View and get'er done...

Happy Sewing,
Nancy
off to search my blogs for tutes to see what I can make from Christmas fabric that will fit Linda and Stephanie's the rules. I can always write that pesky newsletter tonight...

Design Wall Monday.....

Last week THIS was my design wall.

Now the quilt looks like this..



I had to lay it out in the living room. It's 102 x 88 and my design wall isn't...

I did notice that it looks like my house quilt. Similar colors? I think so. I used all stash for this project except for that dark red last border. I didn't have enough of anything in the stash so I purchased a yard or so. I have enough for the binding also and hope to get it cut, pieced and ready to go. The quilt was given to my LAQ last Thursday..



Today I will make binding for this quilt and also for another polka dot charity quilt I finished. Then I need to get crack'in on my Christmas in July package. I have ideas, but haven't even started getting them together, and maybe a trip to the LQS is needed.

I will be hanging out around the house today.. My niece/goddaughter has been in labor all night and this morning they took off to the hospital with contractions about 5-6 minutes apart. This will be their second child. Will update the post when I have news.

Don't forget to head over to Judy's blog. There should be a Mr Linky there soon so you can click on all the names and see what's on their design wall.

Happy Sewing,
Nancy

Frogs are a jumping at my house....

This weekend I decided to work on a charity quilt. I used an easy free pattern from Marcia Hohn's site. She has such wonderful block patterns. I used her square within squares2 pattern. I had 1 yard of each of the three fabrics and had enough for 12 blocks, 3 inch border and binding from the blue ..with a bit of scraps left.
Marcia has loads of blocks listed alphabetically or by block size.
Although this isn't the first time I have been to her sight, it is the first time I have used her block patterns. They are wonderfully written and the photos make it very easy to follow along...

Here is the finished quilt.





Helping hubby take photos of his frame. He has a 5x7 finished and we will be loading it up to ETSY tonight some time. When it's done, I will have a button on my sidebar for ease in ordering...

Happy Sewing,
Nancy

Public Service Announcement...

Tagged Pfishing....

A couple of days ago, I got an email from a friend asking me to "view her photos". I clicked on the link and lo and behold, I was asked to JOIN to view her photos.
Luckily I didn't....

Click HERE and read the scam....

Be warned....

I am working on a charity quilt today and hubby is in the workshop making some of the mission style frames to sell on Etsy. I will let you know when they are finished and ready to buy. He is going to make a few regular sizes and also will take orders for custom frames. You just need to know the inside measurement you want.

Here is the fabric I chose for the charity quilt...




Happy Sewing,
Nancy

Must see video...

All non-quilters can just skip this post.

Judy had multiple quilts to bind and wasn't looking forward to all that hand work. In one day, she decided to machine sew her binding, mastered it and then made all of us a video so we can do it too...

Here is the link....

Go and watch. I can't wait to try this out....

I am working on a charity quilt now so hope to use this binding idea when it's ready to go...

Nancy

Channeling G.G....

There is a running joke in the family that sometimes we "channel G.G.". GG is the name that that the great grandkids call my Mom. We aren't being mean when we make fun of this, because she has truly brought this on herself. My Mom has decided that she doesn't look her age and will ask anyone "how old do you think I am?" This is asked of anyone, including waitresses, sales clerks, mall walkers. They of course being nice, will guess a number much lower than her real age, at which time she will tell them all of OUR ages. She doesn't ever reveal HER age, just her daughters ages. great...

Yesterday I decided to give myself a treat and headed into town for a manicure. As I was sitting there, the nail technician started asking me questions. I guess she wanted to make conversation and I just wanted to get my nails done.

The conversation went something like this -

NT-So do you have kids?

ME-Yes, I have three.

NT-How old are they?

ME- um...34, 29 and almost 17.

NT-really? How old are you?

ME-um...56

NT-Oh, you look like you are in your 40's.

Me thinking -well, your tip just increased...

I kind of like channeling GG.

Nancy

On my design wall Monday....

No, it isn't Monday. It's Thursday Wednesday. But better late than never.

Judy started a "What's on your design wall" Monday. Last Monday. Just 3 days ago. Yea, I am late the first week. Oh well...

Here is my design wall. Well, kind of. It won't fit on my design wall. Part of it is and then the Rock Star is holding up the left side. (can you see his head poking out on the left side?) This will be 88x104 finished. The biggest quilt I have ever made. Crazy huh!!


And here is the border fabric. One is pieced the other will be the tone on tone. They will be the same size. 4 inch borders each. I hope to have it done by tomorrow, so I can take it to my LAQ. I will need to get backing. How wide does backing come? I need to check on line.


I think we are to show this again on Monday when we finish? Not sure. Guess I need to reread the rules...LOL

Ok. Off to sew.

Happy Sewing,
Nancy

PS Carolyn and Mary, your prizes were mailed this morning. ENJOY!!

It's Time!!

It's time for the winner to be revealed. I printed off all of the comments and used my new paper cutter to make them all pretty... This first bowl was way too small.



Ok, this is a better size. Now I just have to wait until 10am so I can wake up the
Rock Star Official Comment Drawer...



Um...ok he is slightly awake... See that log cabin quilt? It's one of the first quilts I made. I took a class at a local technical school. He loves it because after 9 years it is soft. He would like another quilt for Christmas this year. He wants a black and white one, plain, no prints. oh....



THE WINNER -



I am sure glad I got a photo of him drawing his favorite Aunt's name. No one would have believed it otherwise. He actually drew two papers and I made him put one back. He didn't cheat as he doesn't have his contacts in..

I came downstairs to take the photo of the winning ticket and decided it was so much fun to bother, bug, wake up have the Rock Star pick a winner that I marched right back upstairs and had him draw another winner...

Oh look, he has one eye open... He might get up today yet!!



The SECOND WINNER -



Um..Mary, your bag isn't finished yet. But it will be ready to go into the mail tomorrow, so get me some address's girls...

And YES, I will need your address sis as I don't know it...and I don't have it written anywhere... Sorry...

Today is "What's on your design wall" day at Judy's Patchwork Times. So I am off to the sewing room. First need to take a photo of the design wall and then work on it...

Happy Sewing,
Nancy

OOh La La.....french seams

Last week was a very special week. Do you think you can guess? Was it special because my last born became a senior? (Yes, you did!!) Was it special because I was told I was going to be a great-aunt? AGAIN!!

Maybe it was special because

I HIT 400 POSTS!!!

That's right!! Sometime last week, I wrote my 400th post. I would have never thought that I would have had enough to say to fill 400 posts. I am even pretty sure some of it was even interesting.....


So, should I have a giveaway? Should I sew up something on a Sunday evening, draw a name from all the commenter's last week and send it off? Did I hear a YES!!!


OK, Here is what I made Sunday evening...

Yes, it's a going green market bag.... Um...did you notice the FRENCH SEAMS...I have always read about French Seams, but never attempted them. What a great finish for a market bag. You certainly don't want to line a market bag. Can't have it heavy before you even load it up with goodies... So french seams are the answer...
This bag took only 1/2 yard of material and about 20 minutes to stitch... Not bad.

So, who is the winner?
Um....come back this afternoon, when I have had a chance to write everyones name down. You all got one entry for each comment last week. From Monday to Sunday.
So if you commented every day, you got 7 entries... You didn't even know it did you??

Well, today is working on that mystery quilt. I WILL CUT AND SEW ON THE BORDERS TODAY!! Nothing will deter me...I MUST DO IT...

Happy Sewing,
Nancy